Veterinary Technical Advisor

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Position: Veterinary Technical Advisor Reports to: Country Director, WCS Viet Nam Program with “dotted line” to WCS Health Program Associate Director - Asia Supervisor to: NA Location: Ha Noi, Viet Nam Country Program/Sector: WCS Viet Nam Program/Health Program Position Type: Full time (Fixed-Term) Expected travel: As required within the region, occasionally to New York if/when needed, and to donor/technical meetings as needed/possible

Organization Background

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit, tax-exempt, private organization established in 1895 that saves wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, crafting science-based solutions, and taking conservation actions that benefit nature and humanity. With more than a century of experience, long-term commitments in dozens of landscapes, presence in more than 60 nations, and experience helping to establish over 150 protected areas across the globe, WCS has amassed the biological knowledge, cultural understanding and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. Working with local communities and organizations, that knowledge is applied to address species, habitat and ecosystem management issues critical to improving the quality of life of poor rural people whose livelihoods depend on the direct utilization of natural resources.

Program Overview

The WCS Health Program is central to delivering on our mission to save wildlife and wild places around the globe. Wildlife, livestock, and human diseases will likely have a significant impact on the future development of sustainable land uses, protected areas, transboundary natural resource management, other biodiversity conservation approaches, and livelihood opportunities in many of the landscapes and seascapes where we work. Our work at the interface of wildlife, domestic animal, and human health has demonstrated that a One Health approach can build new constituencies for conservation and strengthen existing ones, while mitigating a key threat to conservation.

WCS has been working in Viet Nam since 2006, focusing on strengthening the commitment, capacity, and actions of the Government of Viet Nam to combat wildlife trafficking. WCS Viet Nam has leveraged its health expertise to address unregulated wildlife trade, mitigation of pandemic threats, and to foster collaborative One Health research, training, and policy development.

Job Summary

WCS seeks a dynamic, experienced veterinarian with a strong interest in wildlife conservation, and addressing issues at the nexus of wildlife health, domestic animal health, and human health. The Veterinary Technical Advisor position requires combined expertise in wildlife medicine, disease training, epidemiology, and laboratory diagnostics to support the design and implementation of a wildlife bio-surveillance network in Viet Nam as part of a three-year United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) Wildlife Surveillance Project funded through the United States Department of Defense, Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP).

The position provides an opportunity to be part of a “real world” One Health project working with partners across the wildlife, health, and livestock sectors to establish an operational network for wildlife disease surveillance in the three countries (Laos, Cambodia, and Viet Nam) as part of WCS’s dynamic conservation program in the region. The INDOPACOM Wildlife Surveillance Project is part of a broader DTRA initiative to build capacity for especially dangerous pathogen (EDP) surveillance, and strengthen bio-surveillance networks in the region, by contributing to EDP surveillance study design, EDP disease reporting, and EDP risk reduction.

This Job Description is progressive in nature and shall be reviewed and amended from time to time to meet WCS Viet Nam program needs.

Responsibilities

In consultation and coordination with the WCS Viet Nam Health Team Leader and the Health Program, the Veterinary Technical Advisor will:
Operationalize wildlife bio-surveillance networks in Viet Nam and help leverage lessons learned to other WCS regions working to build wildlife health capacity and disease surveillance.
Contribute to the development of active and passive disease surveillance protocols designed to detect and validate reported wildlife morbidity/mortality events.
Collaborate with national One Health partners and platforms to develop national strategy documents for wildlife bio-surveillance and systems for disease reporting and risk analysis in coordination with existing networks in the livestock and public health sectors, including re-enforcement of any current frameworks or processes in place.
Lead the development of training materials, piloting new training delivery mechanisms, and monitoring the effectiveness of training programs to enhance wildlife bio-surveillance networks.
Build capacity in national governmental agencies for wildlife disease surveillance and investigation by conducting training workshops and providing practical “on-the-job” training opportunities.
Build capacity and provide diagnostic support for wildlife bio-surveillance networks in the region.
Explore utilization of media screening, disease reporting hotlines, mobile-based reporting, and village-level reporting to expand and enhance national and regional wildlife bio-surveillance systems.
Coordinate support for Health Team activities and technical oversight for national Health Team staff, to ensure that WCS meets Health Team objectives in Viet Nam including for information management (bio-surveillance database) and programmatic reporting.
Work with the Health Team Leader to coordinate progress on all technical, administrative, financial, and logistical aspects of WCS health activities in Viet Nam.
Assist with fund-raising efforts for health, identifying and enhancing support from existing and new sources, assisting in development of proposals and reports, building relationships with funders, in collaboration with WCS Viet Nam and other Regional staff.
Provide technical advice to other thematic teams within WCS Viet Nam and liaise with professional associations and organizations as needed; attend professional conferences; write and lecture for professional audiences on issues relevant to the WCS mission.
Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements

Advanced degree in veterinary medicine or a related discipline.
At least 3 years work experience in health training delivery, wildlife medicine, epidemiology, and/or disease ecology.
Background knowledge of disease surveillance networks, outbreak response, and epidemiological tools used to monitor wildlife health, preferably with field-based experience.
Familiarity with participatory approaches to enhance disease reporting and support behavioral risk communication.
Demonstrated project management skills including workflow and budget planning, prioritizing tasks across multiple project components, mentoring projects teams, and delivering on deadlines.
Demonstrated writing and oral communication skills to effectively communicate project findings to a broad constituency, including both local and international scientific and lay audiences (e.g. scientists, policy staff, government agency managers, donors, and the general public).
Comfortable working overseas in complex and diverse cultural settings; an ability to adapt approaches to local cultures and project situation, while maintaining a high professional standard.
Willingness to work flexible hours that may include weekends and public holidays.
English language proficiency required and multi-lingual language skills preferred.

Application Process

Urgent Hiring! We will start our pre-screening process by January 31st , 2020.

Interested candidates, who meet the above qualifications, should apply at the soonest possible time by emailing an application letter and CV together with salary requirements and the names and contact information of three references to: globalrecruitment@wcs.org. Please include “Veterinary Technical Advisor, Viet Nam” in the subject line of your email and in the body of your application letter.

Candidates can also apply online via the WCS career portal at: http://www.wcs.org/about-us/careers

WCS is an equal opportunity employer and the organization complies with all employment and labor laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in hiring and ensures that candidates from all backgrounds are fairly and consistently considered during the recruitment process. We are dedicated to hiring and supporting a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and look for future team members who share that same values. The organization provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organization does not discriminate for employment based on age, color, disability, gender identify, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by laws and regulations

Please note that only short listed candidates will be contacted for interview.

Tags: WCS